Waves and free surface flows is a research area in fluid mechanics focused on flows with a deformable interface between a liquid and a gas, typically water and air, where surface tension and gravity govern interface dynamics. It encompasses the generation, propagation, interaction, and breaking of surface and internal waves, including linear and nonlinear wave theory, dispersive and solitary waves, and turbulence–wave coupling. Research combines theoretical modeling (e.g., Navier–Stokes equations with free-surface boundary conditions), laboratory experiments, and numerical methods such as volume-of-fluid and level-set approaches, with applications in coastal and ocean engineering, naval hydrodynamics, and environmental fluid dynamics.
When it rains, traveling waves appear on steep asphalt pavement, slowly making their way down the slope. Because these so-called "roll waves" propagate without deforming and are typically characterized by abrupt discontinuities, ...
General Physics
Sep 16, 2026
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Tiny, soft polymer particles—known as microgels—can help to stabilize extremely thin liquid jets. How this works is the finding of a study led by researchers at TU Darmstadt, which has been published in Nature Communications. ...
Condensed Matter
Sep 7, 2026
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A new study led by surfing scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego revealed the physical relationships underlying a pattern familiar to generations of surfers.
Soft Matter
Sep 3, 2026
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Inside a lab at the University of Texas at Dallas, researchers have re-created a small-scale ocean environment where they can make waves build, break and crash into one another.
Earth Sciences
Sep 2, 2026
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Researchers have developed a novel model to accurately and efficiently predict the impact of "green water"—water washing onto the deck of an offshore facility during extreme wave conditions.
General Physics
Aug 20, 2026
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Typhoons pose significant threats, with sudden, dangerous waves that endanger ships, offshore platforms and coastal infrastructure in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Current typhoon forecasting methods sometimes underestimate ...
Reliably generating controlled miniature rotations has long been a challenge: Chemical propulsion systems wear out, and methods that use electric or magnetic fields require complex setups. A team from KIT's Institute of Microstructure ...
General Physics
Jul 22, 2026
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For the first time, mighty ocean waves generated in the Southern Ocean have been accurately measured all the way to the tiny ripples they form on the shores of Alaska. Professor Ian Young, from the University of Melbourne's ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 4, 2026
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Summer brings with it the sight of surfers moving seamlessly across wave crests, with ocean waters carrying them along coastlines. A team of scientists has now created a similar phenomenon—with small objects rather than surfers—that ...
Soft Matter
Jun 3, 2026
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12
In the quirky quantum world, particles can be affected by forces that they never directly encounter. A classic example is the Aharonov–Bohm (AB) effect, where electrons are affected by a magnetic field, despite not passing ...
Soft Matter
Apr 20, 2026
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